In this section we discuss what employers are doing (or what we should say, NOT DOING) for the expatriate property insurance needs of those employees on global work assignment. We find the same problem on the international liability side of the equation. 75% of the expatriates we survey have a false belief that the employer is providing them with this coverage or at the very least, would step in with financial relief in the event of a personal claim loss. This is never the case.

NOTICE TO EXPATRIATES !!! In almost all instances, your Employer is not providing you and your family with overseas property insurance and cannot address your expatriate liability insurance needs. Protecting you and your family from personal loss is your responsibility.

There are both legal and tax reasons why your employer cannot reimburse you for a property loss internationally in the event of fire, theft, smoke, earthquake, vandalism, etc. If you or any one of your family are sued or a court orders you to pay a damage award, there are no corporate insurance policies that will provide coverage. A few employers provide this insurance but at this time, almost all do not. The notion of "my company would step in and take care of me" is completely false!

Employer insurance policies can only cover you for direct on-the-job risk exposure. The only one that can protect your family's financial future with sound expatriate property and liability insurance is you.

Unfortunately, Most Employers Don't Even Address These Needs With Expatriates.

Right now, we work with 30 of the Fortune 500 on these programs so employers can provide their employees with good voluntary and elective solutions for international property and liability insurance before they leave. Providing potential expatriates with a voluntary solution also reinforces the point that the employer will not be there to rescue the employee in the event of loss, and if the employee takes no personal responsibility to secure international personal property and international liability insurance, the employee is on their own at the time of claim.

It is absolutely in the employers best interest to address these insurance needs before an expatriate assignment for two main reasons: